A Budding Career Change: From Seed To Bloom

This morning I stepped out of bed and directly into my garden. I filled buckets with water, cut fresh flowers, stripped foliage, trimmed stems, arranged flowers into bunches and stocked my flower stand all within the company of birds chirping, the feeling of a fresh start to a new day, the sun rising and peace. 

My path, for a long time, was crystal clear. Graduate high school, attend university, get an undergraduate degree in Education, apply for teaching jobs, get married, have kids. I accomplished everything that I set out to and created a beautiful life, one that I could have only imagined of when I was a kid. But, it wasn’t enough.

I started to ask questions like, “Why?”, “Who am I?”, “What is my purpose?”, “Am I truly happy?”, “Is this enough?”

After nearly two years of volunteering, taking leaves from my teaching job, further coursework and countless conversations about what I wanted to do, I Googled ‘career coach’ and through the grace of fate, came across Caroline. I decided to trump thinking with action and emailed Caroline, inquiring about her Coaching Program.

Working with Caroline has been a life-changing experience for me. I no longer question what I want to do, or if I’m doing the right thing. I am now filled with confidence, drive, purpose and joy. Caroline gave me the tools that I needed to make direct decisions in what I want for my life. She helped me to debunk my thoughts regarding what I should be doing and gave me permission to step outside of the norm and to carve out my own unique path. 

I have officially resigned from teaching and am in the process of starting a small-scale cut flower farm. I started sowing seeds six months ago and now I am one week into selling my flowers.

I could not be more in love with what I am doing. I still have questions as to where exactly I want to take things and that’s okay. I’ve learned that I don’t need to have all the answers right now. 

Leaving teaching was not an easy decision for me. I remember first sharing this thought with a colleague. Through tears and trepidation, I expressed that I was considering trying something new, taking some time for myself to consider other options. He said to me, “You know the saying, ‘The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.’”

I love that two years later, I am literally planting seeds and living out the most wonderful career change. 

I will forever be grateful to Caroline for all of her teachings, her encouragement, her support and her approach to analyzing all parts of my life in order to discover the next chapter of fulfillment, joy and most importantly for me, peace. 

Thank you, Caroline.

— Katrina, Owner, Peaceful Blooms